Last October, Game Freak announced that Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon were going to be the last Pokémon games released for the Nintendo 3DS. Since then, everyone has been awaiting the official announcement for the Switch edition of Pokémon, following the teaser during the 2017 E3 conference. Last night, Game Freak gave us more information about three of the newest Pokémon games that are coming to Switch.
The first one being the core Pokémon game that was promised for the Switch. Not much information was actually released about this game, other than it’s late 2019 release date. But speculation puts it as a game with a new region and new editions to the Pokédex. I suspect that E3 2019 will be focused on that new core Pokémon game.
They also announced and released a free-to-start game on the Switch called Pokémon Quest. The action game takes place in a world called Tumblecube Island, where pixel-style Pokémon roam for treasure, food and friendly fights. There are base camps that players can customize and build, which help them attract new Pokémon to add to their team. From there, trainers take a set of three monsters to battle, but very unlike the usual turn-based style of core Pokémon games. Instead, Pokémon Quest limits players’ control of their Pokémon to tapping attack meters once they’re full. In the 15 minutes I played last night, I got bored very quickly and yearned to just pick up my 3DS and play literally any Pokémon game on there. However, I appreciate Game Freak’s effort of releasing a free game to hold people over until November.
Speaking of November, the crowd favorite of announcements was the first look at Pokémon Let’s go Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s go Eevee. Releasing in November, its an RPG based off of Pokémon Yellow, bringing us back to the Kanto region with updated graphics and integration with Pokémon Go and a new Pokéball themed controller. Game Freak said that these games were developed for newer players, ones unfamiliar with Pokémon’s beginnings on the Gameboy. However, there will be no surprise when longtime fans pick this up and enjoy it too. The biggest difference between the new games and the classic ones is that you as a trainer are not able to fight wild pokémon, only catch them. There will be the ability to fight NPCs and other players, but it does take away a key element of the traditional games. Other than that detail, the trailer makes the new game look like a perfect game for those players who are becoming trainers for the first time. They also announced a new controller, in the shape of a Pokéball, that will act like a joycon, making the motion controls for catching a pokémon more immersive than they ever. Hopefully, since the release of Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee is in November, Nintendo will include it in the playable demos at E3.
Have you already played Pokémon Quest? Are you excited for the other two games announced? Let me know your thoughts on all the announcements in the comments below!
